Have you ever thought of donating your breast milk to a baby in need? I have those days where I can pump 5 oz in five minutes and those feedings where my daughter just can’t keep up with the flow. I marvel at my body and its incredible, intense let-down reflex that allows one breast to leak so profusely I gush down the inside of my blouse while my daughter gulps at the other breast. It is during these moments that I wonder why wet nursing has such a negative stigma today. I would be a great wet nurse, look at this supply!

I had a great supply the first time around as well, so I have looked into human milk banking in the past. I was terribly curious to see if we even had a human milk bank in Canada and how one could go about donating breast milk. There is one in British Columbia if you’re interested. If you want to send your milk a little further, there is another organization that can help!

The International Breast Milk Project (IBMP) is the first organization to provide donor breast milk to babies orphaned by disease and poverty in Africa. Breast milk is the best first food for infants, especially those infants living in countries ravaged by poverty, disease and limited access to healthcare. For infants in Africa, donated breast milk offers them the protection against disease and illness thanks to the antibodies present in breast milk. How did this start you might ask? Well, let me tell you.

In April 2006, Jill Youse (a mom with a generous supply we suppose) sent the very first batch of donor milk to Durban, South Africa to the iThemba Lethu orphan home after reading an article about an orphan home in Africa in dire need of donor milk. The delivery was happily received and she went on to develop the breast milk project into a successful not-for-profit. The word got out and since that first shipment, over 3000 moms have applied to donate their breast milk and over 60,000 ounces have been sent to Africa for infants affected by HIV/AIDS. The IMBP also raises money to help fund local healthcare initiatives in Africa, which include supporting the communities to develop and maintain local milk banks.

Right now, it looks like they only take donations from moms in the United States, so we Canadians are out of luck, for now anyway. The IBMP is actively campaigning to make breast milk donation a worldwide norm, so perhaps one day they will send our milk overseas as well. Or, any Canadian grass roots mama out there with a healthy supply can do what Jill Youse did, ship it yourself.

If you want to learn more about the International Breast Milk Project, please visit their website.

If you want more information on North American milk banks, including the only one in Canada, visit http://www.hmbana.org/